A Long Overdue Conversation About Race
March 24, 2008
By Rev. William G. Sinkford, President, Unitarian Universalist Association
A commentator on CNN yesterday expressed what I imagine is the feeling of many white Americans in response to Barack Obama's speech about race last week: "Why can't we just go back to being color blind?" In our hearts, most Americans will acknowledge that racism is still at work in the body politic and in our individual lives, regardless of our race or cultural identity. But most would also acknowledge that we haven't yet found a way to move forward to redress the impact of racism, or even a way to productively talk about race in our society or in our lives. We have been stuck for far too long.
Much of the conversation about race is so filled with political correctness that truth is hard to come by. Whites move so easily to denial, citing the progress that has been made in recent decades and glossing over the glaring disparities in opportunity, income, even incarceration that remain. African Americans and people of color generally, including myself, show up defensive, afraid that the reality of our lives will, yet again, be deemed unimportant, that we will, yet again, be made invisible. Honesty has been simply too hard to come by, at least in mixed company.
Obama's speech, by naming the honest concerns and fears on both sides of the racial divide, presents us with that rarest of opportunities, an invitation to re-engage with an issue many people would prefer to ignore. I hope and pray that we have the courage to take advantage of this gift.
The religious community has an important role to play. Forty-five years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observed that 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning was the most segregated hour in America. It was true when Dr. King said it, and it is still true today. But the religious community knows something about confession, reconciliation, and forgiveness. At least we say we do.
Although thoughtful statements from national religious bodies are a start, the real work needs to be done closer to home, in our families and in our congregations. If we can be both honest and open-hearted, there is a chance that we can move beyond the impasse that blocks our path into a place where true reconciliation may be possible. There are excellent resources to help Unitarian Universalist congregations and families in having this conversation. The Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and many others have their own resources as well.
This message is not a political endorsement of Senator Obama, but it is support for his courage and leadership in calling us to a long overdue conversation about race. That conversation needs to move forward regardless of who is elected to our national leadership in November.
For more information contact president-assist @ uua.org.
Last updated on Wednesday, March 26, 2008.
